St. Ignatius of Loyola once wrote, “Love ought to be put more in deeds than in words.”

Loyola faculty, staff, and retirees will live out those words on Friday, July 20 during the Ignatian Day of Service. Every year, Loyolans volunteer at a different site around Chicago as a way to give back and celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius. This year, faculty and staff have also been collecting donations of food, school supplies, and clothing, and the donations will be given to this year’s sites.

According to Chris Murphy, director of staff mission formation and faculty/staff chaplain, there are more than 140 Loyolans signed up for the day of service, and 27 volunteers will go to Misericordia in West Rogers Park, while the rest will head to St. Procopius Church and School in Pilsen. At Misericordia, volunteers will divide into small teams to help with various tasks, while at St. Procopius, volunteers will work on a variety of projects, including painting in the school and campus buildings, serving in the parish food pantry and clothes closet, and helping ready the prizes and gifts for the parish’s August street fair.

Murphy says these two sites were chosen so Loyola could “deepen its existing partnership with community organizations,” as well as provide projects that could be completed in a one-day service opportunity.

Ultimately, Murphy points out that this day of service is a way to pay homage to Loyola’s Jesuit heritage, and live out the words of St. Ignatius.

“This day of celebrating St Ignatius and our Jesuit heritage is a concrete sign of putting love into action,” he says.

In addition to serving others to celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius, there will also be an actual feast next week– a picnic on the Lake Shore Campus East Quad and Mass at Madonna della Strada Chapel. For more on those plans, click here.